Low odor compositions and low odor coating compositions

ABSTRACT

This invention provides stable aqueous compositions including stable coating compositions, and methods of their production. The stable aqueous compositions and stable aqueous coating compositions comprise one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer, one or more carboxylesterase enzyme, and one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agent, such that the ester hydrolysis activity in the composition is less than 0.010 micromole/minute, and wherein the aqueous composition has a headspace volatile organic compound (VOC) content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm of organic carboxylester with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C. and more than 50 ppm of mono-alcohol with a formula molecular weight of less than 76. The carboxylesterase enzyme is employed to minimize the free carboxylester content in the composition, thereby providing a low odor composition, and the carboxylesterase is deactivated in situ in order to minimize the residual carboxylesterase enzyme activity.

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C.§119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/284,364 filed on Dec. 16, 2009.

This invention relates to stable aqueous polymer compositions, including stable coating compositions, such as paints, and methods of their production. More specifically, it relates to stable aqueous polymer compositions comprising one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer, one or more carboxylesterase enzyme, and one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agent, such that the ester hydrolysis activity in the composition is less than 0.010 micromole/minute, and wherein the aqueous coating composition has a headspace volatile organic compound (VOC) content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm of organic carboxylester with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C. and more than 50 ppm of mono-alcohol with a formula molecular weight of less than 76.

Paint formulators have made strides to reduce or eliminate formulation additives which contribute to odor in waterborne paints, however, the presence of carboxylester compounds has remained problematic. Such compounds may be present in small quantities in the emulsion polymer latex (for example, on the order of 50 to 400 ppm in the headspace) which functions as a binder in the paint. These carboxylester compounds usually derive from unreacted carboxylester monomer remaining from the polymerization reaction that forms the latex polymer and are carried into the final coating composition or paint along with the binder. The inventive low odor polymer compositions, including low odor paints and coatings, are obtained by reducing the carboxylester content by contacting the aqueous emulsion polymer with a carboxylesterase, either before, during, or after formulating the coating composition or paint, and the negative effect of residual carboxylesterase activity on coating formulation components and, accordingly, coating formulation stability, is averted by the timely addition of one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agent, which effectively shuts down the carboxylesterase enzyme.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Emulsion-polymerized addition polymers are prepared by the polymerization of ethylenically-unsaturated monomers using ionic- or free radical-initiated and propagated reactions. In most cases these reactions will not proceed to the point of 100% conversion of the ethylenically-unsaturated monomer to polymer within a reasonable time. Elimination of the residual monomer may be desirable due to odor, instability, or toxicity, for example, resulting from the residual monomer. Subsequent elimination of the remaining ethylenically-unsaturated monomer by conversion to polymer by methods such as, for example, heating for prolonged periods, with or without the addition of an ion- or a free radical-source; or physical removal of residual ethylenically-unsaturated monomer by methods such as, for example, vacuum stripping and steam sparging; or conversion to a less undesirable species such as, for example, conversion to a non-volatile adduct have all been disclosed in the past. However, concerns about the toxicity or odor of organic compounds in general, and of ethylenically-unsaturated monomers in particular, have lowered the level of residual ethylenically-unsaturated monomer which is acceptable in emulsion-polymerized addition polymers, and coatings that contain them, to levels which are frequently difficult and costly to achieve by conventional techniques. One category of ethylenically-unsaturated monomers is carboxylester monomers wherein at least one carboxylester grouping, —COOR, is present. In addition, ethylenically-unsaturated monomers may contain, as an impurity, saturated organic carboxylesters, i.e., compounds bearing at least one ester grouping which compounds are not ethylenically-unsaturated, and which persist in the emulsion polymer latex. Further, polymerization adjuvants may introduce additional organic carboxylesters, i.e., compounds bearing at least one ester grouping but which may not be ethylenically-unsaturated monomers. Such compounds, too, may give rise to concerns about toxicity or odor and should be eliminated from low odor coating compositions and low odor paints.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,269, to Nicks et al., discloses a method for reducing the residual levels of monomeric ethylenically-unsaturated carboxylic acid esters, such as alkyl acrylates and alkyl methacrylates, in surfactant stabilized dispersions of polymer of these monomers, such as latices or products formulated from latices. The residual monomer content is reduced by treatment with a hydrolytic enzyme, particularly a lipase or esterase, which treatment reduces the odor arising from the presence of the monomers. However, this disclosure does not discuss properties of formulated coatings or paints and the methods described therein have failed to result in any commercially viable low odor paints because the enzymes described therein and the levels of use disclosed therein result in enzyme degradation of paints. That is, the enzyme is active in attacking esters present in useful paint formulation components.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide stable aqueous polymer compositions and coatings compositions having low odor. It is an additional object of this invention to provide stable aqueous polymer compositions and coatings compositions having a headspace VOC level, as measured by headspace GC-MS at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm, and preferably less than 5 ppm, of organic carboxylester. It is a further object of this invention to provide such compositions having a headspace VOC level of less than 10 ppm, and preferably less than 5 ppm, of organic carboxylester, and an ester hydrolysis enzyme activity of less than 0.010 micromole/minute. It is also an object of this invention to provide a method for producing stable aqueous polymer compositions and coatings compositions having low odor, and having a headspace VOC level of less than 10 ppm, and preferably less than 5 ppm, of organic carboxylester, and an ester hydrolysis enzyme activity of less than 0.010 micromole/minute.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention provides stable aqueous compositions comprising: i) one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprising polymerized units of one or more carboxylester monomer; ii) optionally one or more carboxylesterase enzymes having an ester hydrolysis activity in the composition of less than 0.010 micromole/minute; iii) one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agent; iv) greater than 50 ppm of one or more mono-alcohols with a formula molecular weight of less than 76; and v) less than 10 ppm of an organic carboxylester with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C.; the levels of monoalcohol and organic carboxylester of the present composition refer to headspace volatile organic compound (VOC) content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C. Preferably, the ester hydrolysis activity in the composition is substantially zero. Preferably, the maximum level monoalcohol is less than 0.5%, more preferably less than 0.2%, and most preferably less than 0.1%. Preferred monoalchohols are n-butanol, t-butanol, or ethanol.

Preferably, the composition is maintained at a pH greater than 4, and more preferably at a pH greater than 6.

In an embodiment, the aqueous composition has a headspace VOC content of less than 5 ppm of the one or more organic carboxylester.

In another embodiment, the aqueous composition is a coating composition.

The invention also provides a method for providing aqueous compositions, the method comprising: a) preparing one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprising polymerized units of one or more carboxylester monomer, and having residual organic carboxylester(s) and mono-alcohol(s); b) contacting said one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer with an effective amount of one or more carboxylesterase enzyme to reduce the organic carboxylester content such that the aqueous composition has a headspace VOC content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm of the organic carboxylester and more than 50 ppm of the mono-alcohol; and c) deactivating the carboxylesterase enzyme such that the carboxylesterase enzyme has an ester hydrolysis activity of less than 0.010 micromole/minute in the composition. Preferably, the ester hydrolysis activity in the composition is substantially zero.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises, at any time after step (a), the step of preparing an aqueous composition comprising the one or more emulsion polymerized addition polymer. In one such embodiment, the method provides a coating composition.

In another embodiment, the step of deactivating the carboxylesterase enzyme is accomplished by the addition of one or more protease enzyme or the addition of one or more enzyme inhibitor, or a combination thereof.

The invention also provides compositions made by these methods, including compositions having a bulk VOC of less than 1,000 ppm.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Unless otherwise indicated, conditions of temperature and pressure are room temperature and standard pressure. The term “ambient cure” means cure under ambient conditions (that is, without heating). The coatings may be dried under conditions other than ambient conditions.

As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term “normal boiling point” refers to the boiling point of a liquid at 760 mm/Hg.

Unless otherwise indicated, any term containing parentheses refers, alternatively, to the whole term as if no parentheses were present and the term without that contained in the parentheses, and combinations of each alternative. Thus, the term “(meth)acrylate” means acrylate, methacrylate, or mixtures thereof, and, similarly, the term “(meth)acrylic” refers to any of acrylic, methacrylic, and mixtures thereof.

As used herein, the term “polymer” includes the term “copolymer”, and, unless otherwise indicated, the term “copolymer” refers to polymers made from any two or more different monomers, e.g. terpolymers, pentapolymers etc., and homopolymers functionalized after polymerization so that two or more different functional groups are present in the product copolymer.

As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term “emulsion polymer” refers to a polymer made by emulsion polymerization. An “acrylic emulsion polymer” herein means an emulsion polymer comprising at least 50% by weight of polymerized units of ethylenically unsaturated (meth)acrylates. A “styrene-acrylic emulsion polymer” is an emulsion polymer comprising at least 50% by weight of polymerized units which are derived from either ethylenically unsaturated (meth)acrylates or styrene, and wherein the polymer comprises at least 5% of each of these types of polymerized unit. Similarly, a “vinyl acetate-acrylic emulsion polymer” is an emulsion polymer comprising at least 50% by weight of polymerized units which are derived from either ethylenically unsaturated (meth)acrylates or vinyl acetate, and wherein the polymer comprises at least 5% of each of these types of polymerized unit. A “vinyl acetate-ethylene emulsion polymer” is similarly defined.

As used herein, the term “naturally derived plasticizer” refers to animal-derived oil, fish-derived oil, plant-derived oil, alkyl esters thereof, glycerides thereof, and mixtures thereof.

As used herein, the phrase “glass transition temperature” or “Tg” refers to a measured Tg, determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using a heating rate of 10° C./minute, taking the mid-point in the heat flow versus temperature transition as the Tg value.

As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the term “molecular weight” when referring to (co)polymers means the weight average molecular weight of a (co)polymer as measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), as calibrated with a polystyrene standard. Gel permeation chromatography separates the members of a distribution of polymer chains according to their hydrodynamic size in solution rather than their molar mass. The system is then calibrated with standards of known molecular weight and composition to correlate elution time with molecular weight. The techniques of GPC are discussed in detail in Modern Size Exclusion Chromatography, W. W. Yau, J. J Kirkland, D. D. Bly; Wiley-Interscience, 1979, and in A Guide to Materials Characterization and Chemical Analysis, J. P. Sibilia; VCH, 1988, p. 81-84.

Small molecule compounds, as opposed to polymers, have a fixed molecular structure and do not require averaging techniques in describing a molecular weight. Herein, the molecular weight of small molecule compounds, which latter include the volatile organic compounds that are the source of odor in coating compositions and paint compositions, are described by the formula molecular weight (the sum of the atomic masses of the constituent atoms of the molecular formula). These can be determined accurately by mass spectrometry using appropriate standards as known in the art.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the cause of odor in coating compositions. A VOC is defined herein as a carbon containing compound that has a boiling point below 270° C. at atmospheric pressure. Compounds such as water and ammonia are excluded from VOCs (although use of ammonia should be avoided or at least minimized for these low odor compositions). Regulations to minimize VOCs in coatings compositions target the total amount of such compounds in the composition, referred to herein as “bulk VOCs”. Measurement of bulk VOCs and detection of specific entities in the bulk usually involves sampling the headspace of compositions subjected to 130-150° C. heat. In sampling for VOCs that may be the source of odor generated under ambient conditions of use, detection of odor-causing VOCs is conducted under conditions of 33° C. and samples are taken from the headspace volume of the container, as described in Example 1. VOCs detected under these conditions are referred to herein as “headspace” VOCs.

By “organic carboxylester” herein is meant an organic molecule wherein at least one ester grouping, —COOR, is present, wherein R is a radical composed of carbon and hydrogen atoms such as, for example, alkyl, branched alkyl, alkenyl, and vinyl. Excluded are R groups bearing polar-hetero atoms such as, for example, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate. Measurement of the headspace VOC content of organic carboxylesters is described in Example 1.

Carboxylesterase as used herein is defined as an enzyme of Group EC 3.1.1 as classified by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry. Herein and in the claims, enzyme activity, including the ester hydrolysis activity, and the method of measuring enzyme activity, are described in Example 2. The ester hydrolysis activity of the composition is determined at a time period between 1 week and 3 months after forming the composition.

As used herein, the term “carboxylesterase deactivating agent” means any species which deactivates or partially deactivates the carboxylesterase enzyme, and includes proteases and small molecule inhibitors. Herein, the terms “deactivation”, “deactivating”, and “deactivated” include partial deactivation, partially deactivating, and partially deactivated, respectively.

An ester hydrolysis activity that is substantially zero means that the enzyme has been deactivated and there is no meaningful hydrolysis of esters, even if additional carboxylester is added to the composition; the rate of ester hydrolysis is less than 0.001 micromole/minute.

A coalescing agent is a compound that is added to a water-borne emulsion polymer, paint, or coating, which reduces the minimum film forming temperature (MFFT) of the emulsion polymer, paint or coating by at least 1° C. The MFFT is measured using ASTM test method D2354. A non-VOC coalescing agent is a coalescing agent which has a boiling point above 270° C. at atmospheric pressure.

“KU viscosity” is a measure of the mid-shear viscosity as measured by a Krebs viscometer. The Krebs viscometer is a rotating paddle viscometer that is compliant with ASTM-D562. KU viscosity was measured on a Brookfield Krebs Unit Viscometer KU-1+ available from Brookfield Engineering Labs (Middleboro, Mass., USA). “KU” shall mean Krebs unit.

A stable low odor aqueous coating composition has a stable rheology profile as measured by change in KU viscosity, “delta KU” (change measured from an initial KU viscosity determined 1 day after formulating the coating composition); that is, the composition displays a delta KU of no more than 10 KU over a 1 week period at room temperature (23° C.), and a delta KU of no more than 15 KU over a 10 day period at 50° C.

The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The endpoints of all ranges directed to the same component or property are inclusive of the endpoint and independently combinable.

This invention provides stable low odor aqueous polymer compositions and low odor coating compositions, including low odor paints. One source of the odor in waterborne paints results from the residual organic carboxylester compounds remaining from formation of the emulsion polymer, which functions as the binder in the coating composition.

Emulsion-polymerized addition polymers of this invention may be prepared by one of many techniques well-known in the art. At least one ethylenically-unsaturated monomer is used to prepare the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer. For example, acrylic ester monomers including methyl(meth)acrylate, ethyl(meth)acrylate, butyl(meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl(meth)acrylate, decyl(meth)acrylate, isodecyl(meth)acrylate, hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, and hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate, and other C₁-C₄₀ alkyl(meth)acrylates; acid monomers, in either the acid or anionic form, such as (meth)acrylic acid, itaconic acid, and other ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers, as well as strong acid sulfur-containing or phosphorus-containing monomers; amino-functional monomers such as, for example, N,N-dimethylaminoethyl(meth)acrylate; (meth)acrylamide or substituted (meth)acrylamides such as, for example, N-methylol(meth)acrylamide; styrene or substituted styrenes; butadiene; ethylene; vinyl acetate or other vinyl esters; vinyl ethers; (meth)acrylonitrile; and the like, may be used. Low levels of multi-ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as, for example, allyl methacrylate, diallyl phthalate, 1,4-butylene glycol dimethacrylate, 1,6-hexanedioldiacrylate, may be used.

In an embodiment, the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprises polymerized units of ethylenically unsaturated monomers suitable for effecting ambient cure. Accordingly, the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer may comprise polymerized units of a carbonyl containing monoethylenically unsaturated monomer. Examples of suitable unsaturated monomers which bear carbonyl functional groups include acetoacetoxyethyl(meth)acrylate, (meth)acrolein, diacetone-acrylamide, crotonaldehyde, 4-vinylbenzaldehyde, vinyl alkyl ketones of 4 to 7 carbon atoms such as vinyl methyl ketone, and (meth)acryloxy-alkyl propanols. Further suitable examples include (meth)acrylamidopivalaldehyde, 3-(meth)acrylamidomethylanisaldehyde, and diacetone(meth)acrylate. A carbonyl containing monomer may be sufficient to effect an ambient cure, however, advantageously, in an embodiment the composition optionally further comprises a polyamine or polyhydrazide to effect an ambient cure. Suitable polyamines include, but are not limited to, those with 2 to 10 functional groups per molecule. Suitable examples include ethylene diamine, 4-amino-1,8-octanediaminopropylene diamine, decamethylene diamine, 1,2-diaminocyclohexane, isophorone diamine, urea, melamine, N-(2-hydroxyethyl)ethylene diamine, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, diethylene triamine, dipropylene triamine, dibutylene triamine and polyethylene imines. Suitable polyhydrazides may include oxalic acid dihydrazide, malonic acid dihydrazide, succinic acid diyhydrazide, adipic acid dihydrazide, sebacic acid dihydrazide, cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid dihydrazides, azelaic bisdihydrazide; also carbonic acid hydrazides, bis-semicarbazides, trihydrazides, dihydrazidoalkones and dihydrazides of aromatic hydrocarbons, such as, for example 1,4-dihydrazinobenzine and 2,3-dihydrazinonaphthalene, dihydrazine.

In an embodiment, the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprises an acrylic, styrene-acrylic, vinyl acetate-acrylic or vinyl acetate-ethylene emulsion polymer in an amount of at least 5% by weight of the emulsion polymer solids on total coating composition solids. In another embodiment, the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprises an acrylic, styrene-acrylic or vinyl acetate-acrylic emulsion polymer in an amount of at least 10%, or at least 20%, by weight of the emulsion polymer solids on total coating composition solids.

Anionic, cationic, or nonionic surfactants, or suitable mixtures thereof, may be used to prepare the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer. The polymerization may be carried out by various means such as, for example, with all of the monomer in the reaction kettle at the beginning of the polymerization reaction, with a portion of the monomer in emulsified form present in the reaction kettle at the beginning of the polymerization reaction, and with a small particle size emulsion polymer seed present in the reaction kettle at the beginning of the polymerization reaction. The polymerization reaction may be initiated by various methods known in the art such as, for example, by using the thermal decomposition of an initiator or by using an oxidation-reduction reaction (“redox reaction”) to generate free radicals in order to effect the polymerization. The molecular weight of the emulsion polymer may be greater than 1,000,000.

Chain transfer agents including mercaptans, polymercaptans, and halogen compounds may be used in the polymerization mixture in order to moderate the molecular weight of the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer as known in the art. In the art, the more hydrophobic mercaptans tend to be favored because they tend to associate with the hydrophobic polymer particle as opposed to the aqueous phase. As a result, they tend to be less volatile and less odorous than the more hydrophilic mercaptans, such as methyl mercaptopropionate (MMP) and butyl mercaptopropionate (BMP). The latter are often avoided because they tend to stay with the aqueous phase and are more volatile and odorous. However, odor from MMP and BMP are significantly reduced in the inventive compositions because these esters, if unreacted, are hydrolysed by the carboxylesterase, so these mercaptans may also be useful. The molecular weight of the emulsion polymer may be in the range of from 2,000 to 5,000,000. In one embodiment, the molecular weight of the emulsion polymer ranges from 100,000 to 1,000,000; in another embodiment, the molecular weight of the emulsion polymer ranges from 100,000 to 500,000.

The polymerization reaction may be carried out in a multi-stage process; the particles resulting from such a process may comprise at least two mutually incompatible polymers such as, for example, in core-shell structured particles and other known morphologies as known in the art.

The particle size of the emulsion polymer particles may be in the range of about 40 nanometers to about 5000 nanometers. However, bimodal and polymodal particle size distributions may be employed.

In most cases the emulsion-polymerized addition polymerization will not proceed to the point of 100% conversion of the ethylenically unsaturated monomer to polymer within a reasonable time. Subsequent conversion of the remaining ethylenically-unsaturated monomer to polymer by methods such as, for example, heating for prolonged periods, with or without the addition of an ion or a free radical source; removal of organic esters by methods such as, for example, adsorption, vacuum stripping, steam sparging; or conversion to a non-volatile adduct have all been disclosed and may, where suitable, be utilized prior to, during, or after effecting the method of this invention.

For the inventive polymer and coating compositions, reduced levels of the carboxylester compounds may be achieved by contacting either the coating formulation or the constituent emulsion polymer latex with a carboxylesterase. Organic carboxylester compounds that may be lessened include ethylenically-unsaturated organic carboxylester compounds such as, for example, ethyl acrylate, alkyl(meth)acrylates, dimethyl itaconate, vinyl acetate, and diallyl phthalate, and may also include organic carboxylester compounds which are not ethylenically-unsaturated such as, for example, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, butyl propionate, methyl isobutyrate, and the like. Preferred organic carboxylesters to be reduced are C—1-C8 alkyl(meth)acrylates and vinyl acetate.

Coating compositions and paints comprising the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer may contain, in addition, other components such as, for example, other polymers or emulsion-polymerized addition polymers, surfactants, emulsifiers, pigments, fillers, extenders, dispersants, anti-migration aids, curing agents, coalescents, wetting agents, preservatives, biocides, mildewcides, plasticizers, anti-foaming agents, defoamers, colorants, dyes, pearlescents, adhesion promoters, waxes, leveling agents, optical brighteners, ultraviolet stabilizers, rheology modifiers, anti-oxidants, or crosslinkers. In order to utilize such components and have them function in a manner consistent with their intended use, it is important that any added enzyme does not degrade these components. Accordingly, enzyme type, selectivity and concentration must be carefully controlled.

Low odor polymer and coatings compositions are obtained by reducing the carboxylester content of the composition. The latter derives primarily from the emulsion polymerization reaction to produce the binder. The reduction of the organic carboxylester content is achieved by treating either the aqueous emulsion polymer latex or the coating composition with a hydrolase. Specifically, these hydrolases are carboxylic ester hydrolases, generally referred to herein as carboxylesterases, and are classified as EC 3.1.1. These enzymes use water in a chemical reaction to cleave an ester bond, producing an alcohol and an acid. Carboxylesterases that may be suitable to treat the polymer or coating composition include, but are not limited to, any enzyme referred to as an esterase, carboxylesterase or lipase. The origin of the carboxylesterase may be animal, vegetable, microbial, or synthetic. Known sources of carboxylesterase enzyme include organisms composed of eukaryotic cells, i.e., cells with nucleii, such as, for example, animal tissues, plants, molds, and yeast. Carboxylesterases which may be suitable, for example, include those present in Aspergillus sp., rhizoctonia s., tricoderma h., cytophagia sp., yeast, bovine liver, sheep liver, chicken liver, and the like. Although carboxylesterase enzymes are found in nature such as, for example, in the species disclosed herein-above, recently developed methods may allow the transfer of the carboxylesterase gene to bacteria to facilitate the production of carboxylesterase enzymes, as disclosed in J. Sambrook, et al., “Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual”, Second Edition, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Plainview, N.Y., 1989. Genetically or chemically modified variants of carboxylic ester hydrolases may be suitable. Also included are carboxylesterases that are expressed in an organism other than the original source organism.

The carboxylesterase enzyme may be used in solution or immobilized; preferably, the enzyme is soluble in the aqueous composition. Preferred esterases are microbial in origin and include the fungal enzyme cutin hydrolase (cutinase) as well as those obtained directly from, or derived from, Candida antarctica and Thermomyces lanuginosus. Potentially useful commercial preparations include Novozym™ 435, Lipex™ 100L, Novozym™ CALB L and Novozym™ 51032 (Novozymes, Bagsvaerd, Denmark), generic CALB (Chiralvision, Leiden, The Netherlands), Lipase G Amano 50 (Amano Enzyme, Nagoya, Japan) and Lipase R (Deerland, Kennesaw, Ga.). Preferred commercial preparations are generic CALB, Novozym™ CALB L, and Novozym™ 51032.

The carboxylesterase must be present in a sufficient amount to be effective in reducing the organic carboxylester content of the aqueous coating composition. However, as alluded to above, carboxylesterases have not been commercialized for this use, to date, because there is a practical upper limit of use for the majority of these enzymes due to the undesirable reactivity with the coating formulation components. In particular, coatings manufacturers require viscosity stability in the aqueous coating composition. Preferably, the composition displays a delta KU of no more than 10, more preferably no more than 8, and even more preferably no more than 5 KU over a 1 week period at room temperature; and a delta KU of no more than 15, more preferably no more than 10, and even more preferably no more than 5 KU over a 10 day period at 50° C. Deterioration of key properties of the coating resulting from addition of the carboxylesterase enzyme is also indicative of an unstable aqueous coating composition. For a stable aqueous coating composition, preferably the coating has a 1 day room temperature block resistance of at least 6, and a 1 day hot block resistance of at least 6. For a stable aqueous coating composition, preferably the scrub resistance of the coating is not more than 10% lower than the analogous coating formulation which does not comprise the carboxylesterase enzyme. Similarly, an increased coalescent demand in order to achieve film formation for the enzyme-containing composition is indicative of an unstable composition; that is, reaction of the enzyme with the coalescent renders the latter ineffective in achieving film formation.

Moreover, the preferred quantity of carboxylesterase depends on the enzyme type and source, including the purity, of the enzyme. Because the enzyme source and purity can affect the preferred quantity of enzyme, a useful way to quantify the enzyme is by enzyme carboxylester hydrolysis activity, referred to herein as enzyme activity. In order to prevent degradation of the paint formulation components, the carboxylesterase ester hydrolysis activity should be less than 0.030, and preferably less than 0.020, micromoles per minute. In the present invention, the carboxylesterase deactivating agent reduces the enzyme activity to less than 0.010 micromoles per minute. Preferably, the enzyme activity is substantially zero.

The carboxylesterase is believed to catalyze the hydrolysis of a carboxylic ester to yield an alcohol and a carboxylic acid anion. The alcohol and carboxylic acid compounds are less odorous in a coating composition than are their carboxylic ester compound analogs. Reduction of carboxylester content in the coating composition upon carboxylesterase treatment is therefore accompanied by an increase in the corresponding alcohol content. Preferably, the aqueous coating composition has a headspace VOC content, as measured by headspace GC-MS at 33° C., of less than 15 ppm, preferably less than 10 ppm, more preferably less than 8 ppm, and even more preferably less than 5 ppm, and still more preferably less than 2 ppm of organic carboxylesters having a boiling point of less than 150° C.; and headspace VOC levels of more than 50 ppm of monoalcohol with a formula molecular weight of less than 76.

The emulsion-polymerized addition polymer may be contacted by the carboxylesterase in any convenient manner such as, for example, by admixing a carboxylesterase with an emulsion-polymerized addition polymer in an emulsion reaction kettle, or by post-addition of the enzyme to the isolated emulsion polymer latex, or by passing the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer through a column packed with a carboxylesterase immobilized on a solid support such as, for example, a carboxylesterase immobilized on acrylic beads. Alternatively, the carboxylesterase may be post-added to the coating composition comprising the emulsion-polymerized addition polymer, or the coating composition may be passed through a column packed with the immobilized enzyme. The contacting step may take place at pH greater than about 4. Preferred is a pH greater than about 7, and a pH greater than 8 is more preferred. The contacting step may take place at a temperature of from about 15° C. to about 95° C. Preferred is a temperature of from about 25° C. to about 65° C.

Conventional methods of VOC reduction may be combined with the enzyme treatment. For example, steam stripping actually becomes more effective in combination with enzyme treatment (see Example 9).

The potentially negative effect of residual carboxylesterase activity on coating formulation components and, accordingly, coating formulation stability, is averted by the timely addition of one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agent, which effectively shuts down the carboxylesterase enzyme. The carboxylesterase deactivating agent is selected from the group consisting of one or more protease enzyme, one or more enzyme inhibitor, and combinations thereof.

Proteins are made up of polypeptides and the terms “peptidase” and “protease” are used interchangeably in the art and herein. Peptidases (another class of hydrolase enzyme) may be employed to irreversibly deactivate the carboxylesterase within the composition by degrading the three-dimensional structure of the polypeptides constituting the esterase enzyme. Peptidases are classified as EC 3.4 and use water in a chemical reaction to cleave peptide bonds. Peptidases that may be used to deactivate carboxylic ester hydrolases include, but are not limited to, any enzyme referred to as a peptidase, protease, proteinase or proteolytic cleavage enzyme. The origin of the peptidase may be animal, vegetable, microbial or synthetic. Genetically or chemically modified variants of peptidases are included. Also included are peptidases that are expressed in an organism other than the original source organism. The enzyme may be used in solution or immobilized. Peptidases classified as exopeptidases may be used. These enzymes cleave amino acids from the ends of polypeptide chains and are often referred to as aminopeptidases or carboxypeptidases, depending on the directionality of the cleavage. Endopeptidases, which hydrolyze internal peptide bonds, are preferred. Especially preferred are members of the class of peptidases known as the serine endopeptidases. For these enzymes, a critical active site serine residue is required for catalysis of internal peptide bond cleavage. A specific example of a preferred serine endopeptidase is subtilisin. Subtilisins are a group of serine endopeptidases derived from various strains of the Bacillus microbe. Potentially useful commercial preparations of Bacillus-derived peptidases include Savinase™ 16L EX (Novozymes), SEBalase-BPL and SEBrite-BP16.0L (Specialty Enzymes and Biochemicals Co.). The peptidase of use must be chosen and dosed based on tests in specific formulations that indicate inactivation of carboxylesterase but no damage to the formulation. Peptidases render the carboxylesterase inactive; accordingly, when added at an appropriate level, the ester hydrolysis activity in the composition may be zero. In one embodiment of the invention, the ester hydrolysis activity of the aqueous composition is zero.

Alternatively, small molecules may be used for specific inhibition of carboxylesterase activity within a polymer composition, such as a polymer latex or a coating composition. Small molecule inhibitors of esterase activity that may be used include any molecules that either reversibly or irreversibly decrease the esterase activity in the composition.

Reversible inhibition of esterase activity may be accomplished with any competitive, noncompetitive or uncompetitive small molecule inhibitors of the esterase. Competitive esterase inhibitors compete with residual esters for binding to the esterase active site. Competitive inhibitors do not undergo catalysis in the esterase active site. Noncompetitive inhibitors bind to the esterase at a site other than the active site, leading to a conformational change in the enzyme active site sufficient to decrease esterase activity. Uncompetitive inhibitors bind to the esterase-substrate complex, at a site distinct from the catalytic site, and prevent product formation. The effectiveness of small molecule inhibitors that reversibly decrease esterase activity will vary with the relative amounts of enzyme and inhibitor present, and the ratio of use must be empirically determined.

Irreversible inhibition of esterase activity by a small molecule inhibitor is distinct from irreversible inactivation of esterase activity by a protease in that the three-dimensional structure of the esterase is not destroyed by the small molecule inhibitor. Irreversible small molecule inhibitors of esterase activity include any molecule that forms a covalent adduct within the enzyme active site, either as a result of the intrinsic reactivity of the inhibitor toward active site residues or as a result of enzyme catalysis (suicide inhibitor). Also included are tight-binding molecules, such as transition state analogs, that bind within the enzyme active site non-covalently but with extremely high affinity.

It is to be expected that the effectiveness of specific small molecule inhibitors of esterase activity will vary according to the specific esterase of use. The appropriate enzyme-inhibitor combination of use must be empirically determined.

Irreversible chemical inhibitors of esterase activity include molecules that contain specific reactive functional groups such as nitrogen mustards, aldehydes, haloalkanes, alkenes, Michael acceptors, phenyl sulphonates, or fluorophosphonates, boronic acids or boronic esters, organophosphates, and/or carbamates containing one good leaving group (e.g. fluoride or p-nitrophenyl). These electrophilic groups react with amino acid side chains to form covalent adducts. The residues modified are those with side chains containing nucleophiles such as hydroxyl or sulfhydryl groups; these include the amino acids serine, cysteine, threonine or tyrosine. Some examples of irreversible inhibitors include any boronic acids/esters linked to a hydrophobic group such as a phenyl, methyl, thienyl, alkyl and/or polymeric group; sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium 1-decane sulfonate; and diisopropylfluorophosphate (DFP); less preferred due to toxicity issues, but also effective, are chemicals like organophosphates such as paraoxon-methyl, paraoxon-ethyl, dichlorvos, parathion, malathion, chlorpyrifos, and ethoprophos, and carbamates including compounds like aldicarb, carbofuran, and furathiocarb. In addition to inhibiting esterase enzymes, chemicals similar to those mentioned above (specifically, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium 1-decane sulfonate and DFP) may also inhibit serine proteases. Accordingly, the practitioner considering the use of a combination of deactivating agents should be mindful of such interactions. Other inhibitors may also comprise heavy metal ions such as Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺, which have strong affinities for —SH groups.

Irreversible inhibition is different from irreversible enzyme inactivation. Irreversible inhibitors are generally specific for one class of enzyme and do not inactivate all proteins; they do not function by destroying protein structure but by specifically altering the active site of their target. For example, extremes of pH or temperature usually cause denaturation of all protein structure, but this is a non-specific effect. Similarly, some non-specific chemical treatments destroy protein structure: for example, heating in concentrated hydrochloric acid will hydrolyse the peptide bonds holding proteins together, releasing free amino acids. This method is similar to esterase treatment with a serine protease enzyme in that it hydrolyzes the amide bonds between amino acids along the esterase backbones. However, extremes of pH or temperature, or the use of concentrated hydrochloric acid are not practical approaches to enzyme deactivation in the context of polymer compositions or coatings formulations, since the latter are not stable under these conditions. In one embodiment, when the deactivating agent is an enzyme inhibitor, the enzyme inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of competitive enzyme inhibitor, noncompetitive enzyme inhibitor, uncompetitive enzyme inhibitor, and irreversible enzyme inhibitor, and combinations thereof.

The addition of the deactivating agent may be made at the same time as the addition of the carboxylesterase, or it may be added before or after. One or both of the carboxylesterase and the deactivating agent may be added to the emulsion polymer latex prior to formulating, or, alternatively, one or both may be added after one or more formulating steps. Preferably, both the carboxylesterase and the deactivating agent are added to the emulsion polymer latex prior to formulating, although not necessarily at the same time. Most preferably, they are added in stepwise fashion to the emulsion polymer latex, with the deactivating agent being added after the carboxylester level has been reduced to the desired level by the carboxylesterase enzyme.

The aqueous coating composition optionally contains inorganic particles. A suitable range for the amount of inorganic particles included in the aqueous coating composition is from 0 to 95 volume %, based on the total dry volume of the aqueous composition and inorganic particles. Typically, the aqueous coating composition of this invention, when used to prepare dried coatings, has a solids level in the range of from 20 to 50 volume %, based on the volume of the aqueous coating composition. The pH of the aqueous coating composition is typically in the range of from 3 to 11, and preferably, in the range of from 7 to 10. A suitable viscosity range for the aqueous coating composition is from 50 to 130 Kreb units (KU), preferably from 70 to 110 KU, and more preferably from 90 to 100 KU.

Inorganic particles include: inorganic pigments; metal oxides such as zinc oxide, antimony oxide, zirconium oxide, chromium oxide, iron oxide, lead oxide, aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, titanium dioxide; zinc sulfide, lithopone, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, mica, clay, calcined clay, feldspar, nepheline syenite, wollastonite, diatomaceous earth, alumina silicates, and talc. In one embodiment the inorganic particles may have a particle size which is less than 100 nm. Examples of desired inorganic particles with a particles size of less than 100 nm include silicon oxide, titanium dioxide, and iron oxide.

The aqueous coating composition may optionally contain organic pigment particles. Suitable organic pigments also include plastic pigments such as solid bead pigments and microsphere pigments containing voids or vesicles. Examples of solid bead pigments include polystyrene and polyvinyl chloride beads. Examples of microsphere pigments include polymer particles containing one or more voids such as Ropaque™ opaque polymers (The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.) and vesiculated polymer particle, as known in the art. Other known pigments and fillers may be used.

Conventionally, the aqueous coating compositions contain one or more volatile organic compounds (“VOC”). A VOC is defined herein as a carbon containing compound that has a boiling point below 270° C. at atmospheric pressure. Frequently a VOC is deliberately added to a paint or coating to improve the film properties of a coating or to aid in the application properties of the composition employed to prepare the coating. Examples are glycol ethers, organic esters, aromatic compounds, ethylene and propylene glycol, and aliphatic hydrocarbons.

The aqueous coating compositions of this invention optionally contain organic solvents, coalescents, or plasticizers, which may or may not be VOCs. These may be ester compounds that aid in the film forming properties of the aqueous coating composition to achieve desirable properties. These properties include but are not limited to coalescing of the particles of film-forming polymer at temperatures below the glass transition temperature of the polymers; resistance to gelation of the composition during repeated cycles of freezing and thawing; and the adhesion, leveling, toolability, wet-edge and gloss development, and resistance to scrubbing and organic solvents exhibited by coatings and paints applied using the compositions. Conventional coalescents are typically volatile liquid organic compounds including but not limited to dihydric alcohols, glycols, oligomeric glycols, esters of alcohols and glycols, and ethers.

However, due to odor and health and environmental concerns, many national and regional governments have issued restrictions concerning the amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be present in compositions intended for use as coatings, inks, sealants, adhesives and related applications (i.e. bulk VOCs). These restrictions have initiated efforts by manufacturers and formulators of these compositions to seek ways to eliminate or at least reduce the concentration of bulk VOCs in aqueous polymer compositions without adversely affecting the beneficial properties imparted by these compounds. Accordingly, it is preferable that the solvents, coalescents, or plasticizers do not contribute to the coating's bulk VOC content.

In one embodiment, the aqueous coating composition contains up to 20 wt. % bulk VOC based on the total weight of the aqueous coating composition; preferably less than 5 wt. % VOC, more preferably less than 3 wt. % VOC, and even more preferably, less than 1.7 wt. % VOC based on the total weight of the aqueous coating composition.

Typical methods of paint or coating preparation introduce adventitious VOCs from the preparation of the aqueous composition, such as via biocides, defoamers, soaps, dispersants, and thickeners. These typically account for 0.1% bulk VOC by weight based on the total weight of the aqueous coating composition. Additional methods such as steam stripping and choice of low VOC containing additives like biocides, defoamers, soaps, dispersants, and thickeners are suitable for further reducing the aqueous coating composition to less than 0.01% VOC by weight based on the total weight of the aqueous coating composition. In one embodiment, the aqueous coating composition has a bulk VOC, by weight based on the total weight of the aqueous coating composition, of less than 0.1% (1,000 ppm); more preferably, the aqueous coating composition has a bulk VOC of less than 0.07% (700 ppm), even more preferably less than 0.01% (100 ppm).

In another embodiment, the low VOC aqueous coating composition may contain one or more coalescing agent that is not a VOC, such as, for example, plasticizers, low molecular weight polymers, surfactants, and autooxidizable plasticizers such as alkyl esters of unsaturated fatty acids, including mono, di-, or tri-unsaturated fatty acids. Preferred are naturally derived plasticizers, including, for example, alkyl esters prepared from oils such as linseed, tung, dehydrated castor, soybean, tall, sunflower, and corn. Suitable unsaturated fatty acid esters include monounsaturated fatty acid esters formed from palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, or caproleic acid; diunsaturated fatty acid esters formed from linoleic acid; triunsaturated fatty acid esters formed from linolenic acid or eleosteric acid, or mixtures thereof. Suitable esters of unsaturated fatty acids includes alkyl esters, such as methyl and ethyl esters; substituted alkyl esters, such as esters formed from ethylene glycol and propylene glycol; and alkyl ether esters of unsaturated fatty acids, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether. In one embodiment, the above auto autooxidizable plasticizers are used in conjunction with an emulsion polymer comprising 0.25% to 12.5% of acetoacetoxyethyl(meth)acrylate as polymerized units. Auto oxidation can further be enhanced by the use of metal ion catalysts such as cobalt, zirconium, calcium, manganese, copper, zinc and iron. Simple salts such as halides, nitrates, and sulfates may be used but in many cases an organic anion such as the acetate, naphthenate or acetoacetonate is used.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the emulsion polymerized addition polymer is formed and subsequently contacted with the carboxylesterase (5 ppm of Novozym 51032; enzyme and inhibitor levels are based on parts of solid enzyme/inhibitor in the total aqueous composition) after a redox pair has been added to reduce the level of residual monomer and while the material is still at an elevated temperature. Alternatively, the enzyme can be added during or before addition of the redox pair without loss of activity. Preferably the pH is >3.5. The material is allowed to cool while ester levels continue to drop. The material may be formulated, either before, or after, stabilization of the residual ester levels, to produce a low odor, low VOC, paint. The deactivating agent (for example, 1000 ppm of phenylboronic acid, PBA) may be added at the same time as the carboxylesterase, but preferably is added in stepwise fashion to the emulsion polymer latex after the residual levels are reduced to desirable levels by the carboxylesterase, but prior to formulating. A similar embodiment employing the stepwise use of 60 ppm of Novozym CALBL and 32 ppm of Novozym Savinase (the deactivating agent), is similarly effective.

Also provided is a method for providing these aqueous compositions, the method comprising: a) preparing one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprising polymerized units of one or more carboxylester monomer, and having residual organic carboxylester(s) and mono-alcohol(s); b) contacting the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer with an effective amount of one or more carboxylesterase enzyme to reduce the organic carboxylester content such that the aqueous composition has a headspace VOC content, as measured by headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) at 33° C., of less than 10 ppm, preferably less than 5 ppm, of the organic carboxylester and more than 50 ppm of the mono-alcohol; and c) deactivating the carboxylesterase enzyme such that the carboxylesterase enzyme has an ester hydrolysis activity of less than 0.010 micromole/minute in the composition; preferably the ester hydrolysis activity is substantially zero.

In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of steam stripping at any time after step (a) to aid in removal of VOCs, and the headspace VOC content has less than 10 ppm, preferably less than 5 ppm, of the organic carboxylester and no more than 50 ppm of the mono-alcohol.

In another embodiment of the method, the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprises an acrylic, styrene-acrylic, vinyl acetate-acrylic or vinyl acetate-ethylene emulsion polymer in an amount of at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, or at least 20%, by weight of the emulsion polymer solids on total composition solids.

In a different embodiment of the method, the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymer comprises polymerized units of a carbonyl containing monethylenically unsaturated monomer, and, optionally, the composition further comprises a polyamine or polyhydrazide.

Preferably, compositions made by these methods have a bulk VOC of less than 1,000 ppm, more preferably less than 700 ppm, and even more preferably less than 100 ppm.

Conventional coatings application methods such as, for example, brushing, rolling, and spraying methods such as, for example, air-atomized spray, air-assisted spray, airless spray, high volume low pressure spray, and air-assisted airless spray may be used to apply the aqueous polymer composition of this invention. Additionally, for some systems, other application techniques may be used to apply the aqueous polymer composition, such as, caulk gun, roll coaters, and curtain coaters. The aqueous polymer composition may be advantageously applied to substrates such as, for example, plastic, wood, metal, primed surfaces, previously painted surfaces, weathered painted surfaces, glass, composites, and cementitious substrates. Drying is typically allowed to proceed under ambient conditions such as, for example, at 0° C. to 35° C. but may be accelerated with heat or low humidity.

EXAMPLES

Materials and Abbreviations:

Enzymes—Carboxylesterases:

-   CALBL is Novozym™ CALB L [Novozymes, Bagsvaerd, Denmark], supplied     as a 6% solution. -   N51032 is Novozym™ 51032 [Novozymes, Bagsvaerd, Denmark], supplied     as a 5% solution. -   Lipex is Lipex™ 100L [Novozymes, Bagsvaerd, Denmark], supplied as a     7% solution. -   PLE is Pig Liver Esterase [Sigma Aldrich, St.Louis, Mo.], supplied     as a 1.6% solution. -   Candida is Candida Cylindracea [Sigma Aldrich, St.Louis, Mo.], used     as a 5% solution.     Enzymes—Proteases: -   SAV is Savinase™ 16.0L Type EX [Novozymes, Bagsvaerd, Denmark], 8%     solution. -   SEBrite™ BP16.0L [Specialty Enzymes and Biochemicals, Co., CA],     supplied as an 8% solution. -   SEBrite™ LP is [Specialty Enzymes and Biochemicals, Co., CA],     supplied as an 8% solution.     Formulation Components: -   Rhoplex™ AC-261 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Rhoplex™ VSR-2015 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Ropaque™ Ultra E [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Ropaque™ Ultra [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Acrysol™ RM-3000 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Acrysol™ RM-895 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Acrysol™ RM-5 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Tamol™ 731A [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Tergitol™ 15-S-20 (80% Aqueous) [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland,     Mich.] -   Triton™ DF-16 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   BYK™-024 [Byk-chemie GmbH, Wesel, Germany] -   Foamstar™ A-34 [Cognis, Cincinnati, Ohio] -   Texanol™ [Eastman Chemical, Kingsport, Tenn.] -   Coasol™ [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   Tioxiden™ RTC-90 [Huntsman, Billingham, UK] -   Ti-Pure™ R706 [DuPont, Wilmington, DE]Kronos™ 4311 [Kronor Worldwide     Inc, Dallas, N.J.] -   Minex™ 10 [Unimin, New Canaan, Conn.] -   Satintone™ 5HB [BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany] -   Durcal™ 2 [Omya, Alpharetta, Ga.] -   Omyacarb™ 5 [Omya, Ohio] -   Diafil™ 525 [Celite Corp, Calif.] -   Attagel™ 50 [BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany] -   Natrosol™ Plus 330 [Hercules, Wilmington, Del.] -   Natrosol™ 250MHR [Hercules, Wilmington, Del.] -   HEC is hydroxy ethyl cellulose -   HEUR is hydrophobically modified urethane rheology modifier -   Kathon™ LX-1.5 [The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich.] -   EA is ethyl acrylate -   BA is butyl acrylate -   EHA is ethylhexyl acrylate -   MMA is methyl methacrylate -   Sty is styrene -   VAc is vinyl Acetate -   GC is gas chromatography -   FID is flame ionization detection -   MS is mass spectrometry     Test Procedures

The following test procedures were used to generate the data reported in the Examples.

Scrub Resistance Test

This test (based on AS™ D 2486-06) was performed as follows:

A. Preparation of Apparatus:

-   -   1. Abrasion Tester—An abrasion testing device is used which         consists of a brush clamped into a bracket which is moved back         and forth over the dried, applied paint film by means of a set         of cables on either side. The abrasion tester must be leveled         before use and operated at 37±1 cycles/minute.     -   2. Brush—The bristles, if new, must be leveled before use to         permit uniform wear on the paint surface. Leveling is         accomplished by running the brush over 100 or 120 mesh aluminum         oxide close grain sandpaper.         B. Test:     -   1. Draw down the paint on a black vinyl chart (Type P-121-10N,         The Leneta Company) using the 7 mil opening of a 7/10 Dow film         caster, starting from the secured end of the panel. The time for         application should be fairly slow, 3 to 4 seconds from end to         end, to prevent formation of pinholes in the film. Air dry in a         horizontal position for 7 days in an open room kept at         73.5+/−3.5° F. and 50+/−5% relative humidity.     -   2. Make three drawdowns of each sample. Test two and average         them if they are within 25% repeatability. If they are not, test         a third and average the three.     -   3. Secure the drawdown to the abrasion tester by using a         gasketed frame and brass weights or clamps.     -   4. Mount the brush in the holder. Dispense 10 grams of a scrub         medium (Abrasive Scrub Medium, Type SC-2, The Leneta Company)         onto the secured drawdown. Place the brush at the center of the         path before starting the test.     -   5. Start the test. After each 400 cycles before failure, an         additional 10 g of stirred scrub medium is dispensed onto the         chart.     -   6. Record the number of cycles to remove the paint film fully in         one continuous line.         Peel Block Resistance Test

This test is based on AS™ Test Method D 4946-89. Films were drawn down as follows: 8 to 10 ml of the paint was transferred on to the test chart (Leneta Charts) in front of the drawdown bar (3 Mil Bird Film Applicator). Immediately, grasping the drawdown bar with both hands, a smooth film was drawn over the test paint at a rate of about 6 cm per sec (5 sec per test chart). The films were cured in a constant temperature room (CTR) for a specified period of time (1 day or 7 days) depending on the test requirement. Four 4 cm×4 cm sections (to run duplicates) of each type of paint film were prepared. The cut sections were placed with the paint surfaces face to face and then placed on a flat metal plate. Each individual specimen was topped with a number 8 rubber stopper, with narrow side down, and a 1000 g. weight was placed on each stopper. It is desirable to rate the block resistance of each paint under 2 sets of conditions. These are for face-to-face contact for: (i) 24 hours at room temperature, and (ii) 30 minutes at 50° C. In all cases, the weights and stoppers were equilibrated under the test conditions. After the test period, the stoppers and weights were removed and the sections separated with slow and steady force at an angle of approximately 180°. The samples were then rated for block resistance on a scale of 0 to 10 as described below:

-   10=no tack, perfect -   9=trace tack, excellent -   8=slight tack, very good -   7=slight tack, good -   6=moderate tack, good -   5=moderate tack, fair -   4=severe tack, no seal, fair -   3=5-25% seal, poor -   2=25-50% seal, poor -   1=50-75% seal, poor -   0=complete seal, very poor tack

This invention provides low odor coating compositions and paints. The examples illustrate how stable low odor aqueous paints may be obtained, although they are not intended to limit the invention.

Example 1 Determination of Headspace VOC Content-Based on AS™ D3960-05

Headspace VOC content in aqueous compositions was determined by a method based on AS™ 3960: Standard Practice for Determining Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content of Paints and Related Coatings. This method uses static headspace sampling/GC-MS at 33° C. to determine the headspace concentrations of compounds above aqueous emulsion polymers or waterborne paints.

-   Preparation of Standards: Prepare calibration standards in     appropriate solvent (e.g. THF, tetrahydrofuran) containing each     compound to be calibrated at a minimum of three concentrations.     Standard concentrations should be prepared by serial dilution and     calculated in parts-per-million (ppm) on a weight/weight basis. The     concentration of each compound in the lower and higher concentration     standards should generate a detector response that brackets the     response of the compound as determined in the analysis of the     sample. Weigh 20 mg of each standard into 22 ml headspace vials with     aluminum caps and crimp the cap tightly. Repeat the procedure with     water blanks to be run, at a minimum, at the beginning and end of a     sequence of samples. Run the headspace vials containing the     standards via headspace GC-MS as known in the art. For each of the     compounds requiring calibration, prepare a calibration plot using     the three standard concentrations for that compound. Plot the     integrated area of the MS response for the compound on the Y-axis     versus the concentration on the X-axis. Create a     linear-least-squares fit to the calibration plot. -   Sampling Procedure: Weigh 5 g of each sample into 22 ml headspace     vials with aluminum caps and crimp the cap tightly. Repeat the     procedure with water blanks to be run, at a minimum, at the     beginning and end of a sequence of samples. Analyze the samples via     headspace GC-MS. Integrate all peaks in the resulting chromatogram     that have a signal greater than five times the root-mean-square     baseline noise. Once a satisfactory separation of the volatiles is     achieved, mass spectral analysis and/or retention time matching     against known compounds is used to identify the compounds detected.     Determine the concentration of each calibrated compound in the     sample headspace using the linear-least-squares equation from the     calibration plot for that compound. Levels of the component in the     headspace are reliable to 0.1 ppm by the GC-MS technique.

Example 2 Determination of Enzyme Hydrolytic Activity

The procedures to measure the enzyme activity for either an emulsion polymer latex or a latex paint are similar. In the case of an emulsion polymer latex, 100 g samples of emulsion polymer latex binder were treated with different enzymes with concentrations varying from 2.5 to 1,000 ppm (weight of solid enzyme on weight of wet latex). After equilibrating for 1 day, the samples were further treated with approximately 600 ppm of ethyl acrylate (EA), and incubated in sealed jars at pH of 8.5 and room temperature for 48 hours. 5 g samples were taken at intervals of 15, 75, 135, 1440 and 2880 minutes, diluted with 5 g of DI water, inhibited with 100 ppm of 48% phosphoric acid to a pH of approximately 1.6 and then mixed thoroughly. Catalytic activity of free enzyme was then determined by calculating changes in headspace EA for the inhibited latex samples by GC-MS or GC/FID (by the methodology of Example 1) at the interval time where approximately 10% of the EA was consumed. Enzyme activity was expressed in micromoles of EA hydrolyzed per minute (1 unit (U)=1 μmol EA/min). The enzyme activity in an enzyme treated paint is measured similarly, with phosphoric acid inhibition (48% phosphoric acid solution) added at a level to attain a pH of 1.6.

Example 3 Synthesis of Emulsion Polymer Latex, Polymer A

A monomer emulsion was formed from 1397 g ethyl acrylate, 386 g methyl methacrylate (as well as <2% by weight of total monomer of methacrylic acid, sodium carbonate and n-dodecylmercaptan) with 499 g DI water and 51.8 g anionic surfactant (30% active) which was emulsified with stirring. 9 g anionic surfactant (30% active) and 547 g DI water were charged to a 4 L multi-neck flask fitted with mechanical stirring. The flask contents were heated to 75° C. under nitrogen. To the stirred kettle contents were added 67 g monomer emulsion followed by 0.02 g ferrous sulfate heptahydrate and 0.02 g tetrasodium salt of ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid in 23.5 g DI water and sodium carbonate (<0.5% based on total monomer). Polymerization was initiated by the addition of 1.2 g sodium persulfate in 36 g DI water followed by 0.6 g sodium hydrosulfite in 5 g DI water. Gradual addition of the monomer emulsion was subsequently initiated. Separate solutions of 3.8 g APS in 160 g DI water and 1 g of D-Isoascorbic acid in 160 g DI water were fed concurrently with the monomer emulsion. After half of the monomer was fed, 55 grams of a 50% solution of ureido methacrylate was added to the remainder of the monomer emulsion. Total addition time for the three feeds was 90-100 minutes. Reactor temperature was maintained at 75° C. throughout the polymerization. 32 g DI water was used to rinse the emulsion feed line to the reactor. After completion of the monomer emulsion addition, the reactor was cooled from 75° C. to 60° C. as the residual monomer was reduced by additional redox pair addition. The polymer emulsion was neutralized to pH 8 with sodium hydroxide solution. Less than 2% by weight of anionic surfactant and preservative were then added. Final particle size was 150 nm and solids content was 50%. The polymer is designated Polymer A.

Example 4 Enzyme Treatment of Emulsion Polymer Latexes

As discussed above, carboxylester compounds, resulting from the emulsion polymerization reaction to produce the binder, are a primary source of odor. Lowering the organic carboxylester content may be achieved by contacting the aqueous emulsion polymer or coating composition with a carboxylesterase enzyme. The enzyme treatment of the emulsion polymer may be performed “in-process”, that is, during formation of the emulsion polymer latex as described below; or the enzyme may be post-added to the emulsion polymer latex; or, alternatively, the enzyme may be post-added directly to the formulated coating or paint composition.

Four liters of acrylic latex was prepared by emulsion polymerization in a 5 L round bottom flask, as described above. After a redox pair was added to lower residual monomer, 0.01% (wet weight on wet weight, i.e. 0.4 g wet enzyme solution on 4,000 g latex) CALB L (liquid grade, 6% active) was added to the 45° C. material. This is equivalent to 6 ppm of solid enzyme in the emulsion polymer latex. The treated latex was allowed to cool to room temperature, and neutralized to pH of 8.5 with a 5% solution of KOH. The product was then filtered through a 100 mesh screen and stored in a 4 liter container at room temperature. Samples were removed and analyzed by GC/FID (gas chromatography/flame ionization detection) for removal of esters. Although in-process addition is more convenient, post-addition of the enzyme to the emulsion polymer latex allows sampling of the latex for residual ester content both before and after treatment with the enzyme. Treatment levels were varied by the quantity of enzyme solution added. Results are given in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Concentration of Residual Esters and Alcohols (ppm) After Carboxylesterase Enzyme Treatment Using CALBL at Various Levels for a BA/MMA Emulsion Polymer Latex¹. Enzyme Treatment² None 6 ppm 60 ppm 600 ppm (Control) CALBL CALBL CALBL ESTERS butyl propionate 126 n.d.* n.d. n.d. butyl acetate 111 n.d. n.d. n.d. 2-butenoic acid, butyl ester 28 7 n.d. n.d. methyl isobutyrate 14 4 n.d. n.d. butyl acrylate 3 n.d. n.d. n.d. ALCOHOLS t-butanol 355 336 363 356 1-butanol 206 276 221 225 Isopropanol 173 174 192 181 methanol 61 52 54 67 OTHER n-butyl ether 339 352 365 459 acetone 233 222 214 214 methyl 2-hydroxyisobutyrate 73 87 73 36 benzaldehyde 22 22 24 28 propanoic acid n.d. 50 62 58 acetic acid n.d. 18 26 25 ¹Rhoplex AC-261 ™ (Dow Advanced Materials, Philadelphia, PA) is a commercially available aqueous acrylic BA/MMA binder (other components <2%), supplied at 50% solids. ²Residual ester and alcohol content determined after 1 week of enzyme treatment. *n.d. = not detected; reliable detection is possible down to levels as low as 2 ppm. Hereafter, levels of a component detected by GC-FID of less than 1 ppm are indicated as zero.

Similar data was collected by the same procedure for the enzyme Novozym™ N-51032 at various enzyme levels, and shown in summary form (Table 2, below), along with that for CALBL, comparing the residual ester levels present in the latex headspace, both 1 week and 3 weeks after treatment with each enzyme.

TABLE 2 Residual Ester Content (ppm) After Various Carboxylesterase Enzyme Treatments for a BA/MMA Emulsion Polymer Latex¹. Concentration of Residual Esters (ppm) Enzyme Enzyme Enzyme Addition Conc. Treatment Time Enzyme (wet on wet) (ppm) 1 week 3 weeks Control 0 0 282 282 CALBL 0.01%  6 11 0 0.1% 60 0 0 1.0% 600 0 0 N51032 0.001%  0.5 51 25 0.005%  2.5 21 2 0.01%  5 0 0 0.1% 50 0 0 1.0% 500 0 0 ¹Rhoplex AC-261 ™ (Dow Advanced Materials, Philadelphia, PA) is a commercially available aqueous acrylic BA/MMA binder (other components <2%), supplied at 50% solids.

It can be seen that carboxylester removal is complete after three weeks even for very low levels of added enzyme, such as, for example, 6 ppm of CALBL and 5 ppm of N-51032.

Similar data was obtained for a variety of emulsion polymers to show that odor reduction can be effected for a number of polymer types, Table 3.

TABLE 3 Effect of Enzyme Treatment on Residual Ester Content (ppm) for Latexes with Different Emulsion Polymer Compositions. Concentration of Residual Esters¹ (ppm) Polymer Enzyme Treatment Composition Control (No Enzyme) CALBL, 6 ppm BA/MMA² 295 0 BA/Sty³ 199 0 BA/VAc⁴ 389 0 ¹Residual ester content determined after 3 weeks of enzyme treatment (6 ppm of solids CALBL on wet latex). ²BA/MMA latex was Rhoplex ™ AC-261 (50% solids), as above in Tables 1 and 2. ³BA/Sty latex had composition: 52 BA/46 Sty/1 MAA/1 Adhesion Promoter (other components <2%; supplied at 50% solids), obtainable by the method of Example 3. ⁴BA/VAc latex was Rovace ™ 9900, a commercially available aqueous acrylic BA/VAc binder (Dow Advanced Materials, Philadelphia, PA), supplied at 55% solids.

Example 5 Effect of Enzyme Treatment of Paints on Scrub and Block Resistance

The effect of enzyme treatment on paint properties was explored in this Example by formulating enzyme-treated emulsion polymers into standard paint formulations. (Alternatively, the enzyme treatment may be effected directly by post-addition of the enzyme to the paint formulation). Some key paint properties were tested, including scrub resistance and block resistance.

Table 4, below, shows the paint formulations used to formulate paints for the scrub resistance and block resistance data presented in Tables 5 and 6, respectively.

TABLE 4 Near-Zero VOC Paint Formulations for Paints A and B Paint A Paint B Formulation Ingredient Ingredient Type Amounts (g) Amounts (g) Grind Kronos 4311 TitaniumDioxide 300.00 300.00 (75% solids) Tergitol 15-S-20 Surfactant 2.15 2.15 (20% active) Water Water 5.00 5.00 Foamstar A-34 Defoamer 1.00 1.00 Tamol 731A Dispersant 5.00 5.00 (25% active) Minex 10 Extender 15.00 15.00 Attagel 50 Extender 5.00 5.00 Ropaque Ultra OpaquePolymer 30.00 30.00 (30% active) Foamstar A-34 Defoamer 1.00 1.00 Acrysol RM-3000 Thickener 50.00 50.00 (20% active) LetDown Water Water 206.81 222.09 Polymer A Binder 399.04 — (50.1% solids)¹ Rhoplex VSR-2015 Binder — 388.76 (49.5% solids)² Water Water 15.00 15.00 Totals: 1035.0 1040.0 ¹Polymer A is an aqueous acrylic binder (see Example 3). ²Rhoplex VSR-2015 (Dow Advanced Materials, Philadelphia, PA) is a commercially available aqueous acrylic BA/MMA binder (other components <2%).

After equilibrating overnight the paints were determined to have properties with the ranges 90<KU<100, 1.2<ICI<1.7, 8.3<pH<8.5. The paint formulations were post-treated with various levels of Lipex 100L (added as a 7% aqueous solution), stirred for 10 minutes, and then left to equilibrate overnight, prior to drawing down paint films. The results of scrub resistance tests and block resistance tests for these paints are shown in Table 5 and Table 6, respectively.

TABLE 5 Scrub Resistance¹ of Paint ‘A’ Post-Treated with Various Levels of Lipex 100L. Enzyme No. of Addition Enzyme Level Enzyme Level Scrub Scrub Cycles (wet on wet) (ppm in latex) (ppm in paint) Cycles as % of Control None 0 0 1041 100% 0.05%  35 13.5 1015 98% 0.1% 70 27 977 94% 0.5% 350 135 910 87% 1.0% 700 270 793 76% ¹Films cured at RT (75 F.; 50% Relative Humidity) for 7 days

A reduction of 10% or more in the scrub resistance of the paint is clearly undesirable for paint manufacturers and the data indicate that levels of Lipex 100L as high as 135 ppm or 270 ppm in the paint are unacceptable. A reduction of 6% in the scrub resistance of the paint is indicative of a problem, although not conclusive.

TABLE 6 Block Resistance of Paint ‘B’ Post-Treated with Various Levels of Lipex 100L. Enzyme Enzyme Enzyme Level Level 1 day 1 day 7 day 7 day Addition in Latex in Paint hot R/T hot R/T (wet on wet) (ppm) (ppm) block¹ block² block³ block⁴ None 0 0 7 8 7 9 0.01%  7 2.6 6 8 6 8 0.1% 70 26 6 8 7 9 1.0% 700 260 1 7.5 6 7 ¹Film cured at RT (75 F.; 50% Relative Humidity) for 1 day, block resistance measured after face-to-face contact, with applied weight, at 50° C. for 30 mins. ²Film cured at RT (75 F.; 50% Relative Humidity) for 1 day, block resistance measured after face-to-face contact, with applied weight, at RT for 20 hours. ³Film cured at RT (75 F.; 50% Relative Humidity) for 7 days, block resistance measured after face-to-face contact, with applied weight, at 50° C. for 30 mins. ⁴Film cured at RT (75 F.; 50% Relative Humidity) for 7 days, block resistance measured after face-to-face contact, with applied weight, at RT for 20 hours.

The 1-day hot block resistance is destroyed when 260 ppm of Lipex 100L is present in the paint.

Example 6 Determination of Enzyme Levels Resulting in Formulation Stability

Addition of a carboxylesterase to a paint formulation, either indirectly via addition to the emulsion polymer latex or directly by post addition to the paint, has been found to cause paint instability for some levels of carboxylesterase, which may be manifested in one or more detrimental effects on paint properties. Most commonly, the enzyme may cause viscosity instability, but loss of block resistance or loss of scrub resistance may also occur. Additionally, the enzyme may attack the coalescent, resulting in coalescent inefficiency and/or higher VOC's from the cleaved coalescent molecules.

For a given enzyme, paint formulation stability may be achieved by establishing the enzyme level at which residual enzyme activity is negligible. This was achieved as follows:

Portions of an acrylic latex binder were treated with either CALBL or N51032 at concentrations varying from 0.01 to 1% (by weight, wet on wet). The samples were split and a portion of the latex was retained as a control and another portion was formulated into Paint B (described above). For each paint prepared with varying enzyme types and concentrations, the enzyme activity was determined by post-adding approximately 630 ppm of ethyl acrylate and monitoring its disappearance due to enzyme hydrolysis. The change in the EA content in the paint was determined by the procedure outlined above (Examples 1 and 2). The results are shown in Table 7, below, for two enzymes (Novozym™ CALBL and Novozym™ 51032) at enzyme concentrations of 0.01%, 0.1%, and 1.0% (% wet on wet addition to the latex).

TABLE 7 EA Content of the Paint at Time Intervals After EA Addition to the Paint. Amount of Enzyme EA Content (ppm) at Time Interval After EA Addition Enzyme % Added Latex Paint 0 1 6 9 Change % Change Type (Latex) (ppm) (ppm) Days Days Days Days (*) (*) None 0 0 0 612 624 597 585 27  4% CALBL 0.01 6 2.24 631 636 589 593 38  6% 0.1 60 22.4 654 635 526 479 175 27% 1.0 600 224 611 444 106 52 559 91% N-51032 0.01 5 1.87 668 668 611 627 41  6% 0.1 50 18.7 656 535 167 87 569 87% 1.0 500 187 522 38 0 0 522 100%  (*) Change and % change are 9 days after addition of EA into the enzyme treated paint.

The data show that for both of these enzymes, there is no significant residual enzyme activity when the enzyme is added at 0.01% (wet on wet) levels (equivalent to 5-6 ppm of solid enzyme on wet latex, or approximately 2 ppm of solid enzyme in the wet paint). However, for both enzymes there is significant residual activity for enzyme additions of 0.1% (wet on wet) levels (equivalent to 50-60 ppm of solid enzyme on wet latex, or approximately 20 ppm of solid enzyme in the wet paint).

Further data was obtained (in a different paint formulation, Paint C, Table 8, below) for both enzymes, and also for pig liver esterase, at the 0.05% (wet on wet) level (equivalent to 25-30 ppm of solid enzyme on wet latex, or approximately 10 ppm of solid enzyme in the wet paint), shown below (Table 9).

TABLE 8 Near-Zero VOC Paint Formulations for Paints C and D. Ingredient Paint C Paint D Formulation Ingredient Type Amounts (g) Amounts (g) Grind Water Water 37.4 37.4 Tamol 731A (25% active) Dispersant 6.3 6.3 BYK-024 Defoamer 0.80 0.80 Tioxide R-TC90 TiO2 Pigment 105.6 105.6 Satintone 5HB Extender 14.1 14.1 Durcal 2 Extender 37.2 37.2 LetDown Polymer B (48.7% solids)¹ Binder 189.5 — Rhoplex AC-261 Binder — 192.4 (50.0% solids) Texanol Coalescent — 6.4 Ropaque Ultra E Opaque 34.3 34.3 (30% active) Polymer Acrysol RM-5 (30% active) Thickener 12.00 — Natrosol 250MHR — 2.6 (2.5% active) Water Water 104.8 104.8 Totals: 542.0 544.0 ¹Polymer B prepared by the method of Example 3, except with composition: 38EHA/15BA/44MMA (<2% phosphoethyl methacrylate, and ureido methacrylate).

TABLE 9 EA Content of Paint C at Time Intervals After EA Addition to the Paint. Amount of Enzyme EA Content (ppm) at Time Interval After EA Addition Enzyme % Added Latex Paint 0 1 4 Change % Change Type (Latex) (ppm) (ppm) Days Days Days (*) (*) None 0 0 0 436 421 431 5  1% CALBL 0.05 30 11.2 422 319 178 244 58% N-51032 0.05 25 9.4 424 276 122 302 71% PLE 0.05 8 3.0 416 81 14 402 97%

For all three enzymes, there is significant residual activity for enzyme additions of 0.05% (wet on wet) levels (equivalent to approximately 10 ppm of solid enzyme in the wet paint). The data show that the enzyme is still active in this paint formulation when added at levels of 0.05% (˜10 ppm in the paint), and it is expected that degradation of paint properties is likely at these levels. Indeed, this level of addition of PLE or N51032 into an analogous paint formulation incorporating an HEC thickener (Natrosol™ 250 MHR or Natrosol™ Plus 330) in place of the HEUR thickener (Acrysol™ RM-5) results in the paint setting up to a thick paste in less than 1 day. Similarly, at these levels, CALBL treated paint comprising HEC thickeners suffers unacceptable viscosity drift.

Example 7 Effect of Enzyme Level on Paint Formulation Stability

The use of carboxylesterase enzymes to control odor in aqueous latex emulsion paints targets the level of organic carboxylester compounds present in the paint. This approach has no value to paint manufacturers if the critical properties of the paint are compromised. A stable rheology profile is one such critical property. Table 10, below, illustrates the effect on alcohol and ester VOC levels (and therefore odor of the paint), as well as KU viscosity, for a number of different enzymes added at various levels.

TABLE 10 Effect of Carboxylesterase Enzyme Level on Paint Formulation ¹ Stability ² Enzyme Level Enzyme Level Enzyme Level Delta KU Delta KU VOC VOC Ester Hydrolysis Enzyme Latex Latex Paint (1 week) (10 days) Esters Alcohol Activity ⁴ ID ³ Type (wet %) (ppm) (ppm) RT 50° C. (ppm) (ppm) (1 week) 1-C None 0 0 0 −2 +4 15 94 0 2-C CALBL 1.0 600 212 −7 −18  0.2 104 0.083 3-I  CALBL 0.01 6 2.1 −2 −5 2.6 95 0.012 4-I  CALBL 0.005 3 1.1 −2 −5 4.5 96 0.001 5-C N51032 1.0 500 180 +36 Solid 1.5 152 0.075 6-C N51032 0.05 25 8.8 >+40 Solid 1.8 111 0.053 7-I  N51032 0.005 2.5 0.9 −2 +6 1.7 116 0.017 8-C Lipex 1.4 1000 350 −1 −6 0.3 117 0.076 9-I  Lipex 0.021 15 5.3 −1 −4 6.2 101 0.012 10-C  Candida 2.0 1000 350 −1 −4 14.5 95 0.001 11-C  Candida 0.5 250 88 −1 −2 14.2 97 0.001 ¹ Paint D (see Table 8). ² Block resistance was determined as described above, and was found to be acceptable (rating of 6 or higher in all categories) for all samples, except Paint 8, which had ratings of 1 for the 1 day hot block, indicating poor block resistance, 50-75% sealed). ³ C = Comparative Example; I = Inventive Example. ⁴ Determined by GC-MS (as described in Examples 1 and 2).

Residual headspace ester levels as low as 10 ppm result in a detectable odor in waterborne paints, so acceptable low odor paints must have an ester VOC level less than 10 ppm, preferably less than 8 ppm, and even more preferably less than 5 ppm. The data show that addition of Candida fails to achieve acceptable odor levels for these addition levels of enzyme (for either 88 ppm or 350 ppm of enzyme in the paint). Moreover, the higher levels of Lipex 100L (for example, 350 ppm or higher in the paint) results in complete loss of block resistance.

Additionally, paint manufacturers require a stable paint with a KU viscosity change (delta KU) of no more than 10 KU, preferably no more than 8 KU, more preferably no more than 5 KU at room temperature, or no more than 15 KU under heat aging conditions (simulated as 10 days at 50° C.). The data sets show that stable low odor paints are obtainable using CALBL or N51032 enzymes at levels of approximately 0.01% and lower (wet enzyme solution on wet latex; equivalent to approximately 2-6 ppm of solid enzyme in the latex, or approximately 1-2 ppm of solid enzyme in the paint). At these levels, the ester hydrolysis activity of the carboxylesterase enzyme is less than 0.030 micromole/minute.

Example 8 Enzyme Treatment of Ambient Cure Polymer Latex Comprising Hydrazide

As described earlier, ambient cure of paint films comprising a polymeric binder may be achieved wherein the emulsion polymer comprises polymerized units of a carbonyl containing monomer, and, optionally, the composition may further comprise a polyamine or polyhydrazide. Emulsion polymers of this type and methods to make such polymers, have been reported previously (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,070). An acrylic emulsion polymer composition obtainable by this method, comprised an acrylic polymer (45% solids), of composition: BA/MMA with Tg˜10° C. and less than 2% diacetone acrylamide, the composition further comprising less than 2% adipic dihydrazide (ADH).

Novozym™ CALB L (0.35 g of a 6% solution) was added to the acrylic emulsion polymer latex (3528 g). The mixture was shaken and allowed to stand at room temperature for 24 h. The residual ester content was reduced to zero (the level of the primary ester components in the latex, butyl acrylate and butyl propionate, were reduced from 16 ppm to 0 ppm, and 69 ppm to 0 ppm, respectively, as measured by GC).

The modified emulsion was formulated into a 21% PVC gloss paint and tested for gloss, block, stain resistance, alkyd adhesion and dirt pick-up. No significant deterioration of performance was observed. Residual hydrazine was also measured and found to be below detection limits, indicating that the enzyme does not hydrolyze the amide bond in the polyhydrazide.

Example 9 Combined Carboxylesterase Enzyme Treatment and Steam Stripping for VOC Removal

Enzyme treatment of an aqueous coating composition comprising an emulsion-polymerized addition polymer is more effective in removing carboxylester VOCs than conventional continuous process steam stripping. For example, it was found that 88% of carboxylester bulk VOCs were removed using just 6 ppm (solid enzyme on wet latex) of CALBL compared to a 50%, 70%, and 80% reduction after 1, 2, and 3 passes, respectively, of steam stripping. However, the combination of pre-treating the aqueous composition with enzyme (6 ppm of CALBL, contact for 16 days at room temperature) followed by steam stripping is particularly effective, reducing bulk VOCs by 95%, 96%, and 97%, after 1, 2, and 3 passes, respectively, of steam stripping.

Steam stripping actually becomes more effective in combination with enzyme treatment. For conventional steam stripping, VOCs that are more hydrophobic and normally retained in the polymer phase are more difficult to strip than VOCs that are more hydrophilic and contained in the aqueous phase. Carboxylesterase converts hydrophobic VOCs into constituent hydrophilic alcohols and acids. More facile removal by steam stripping lowers the overall VOC count for lower boiling components and creates a combination of VOCs that strips more easily. Moreover, the carboxylesterase, in converting the hydrophobic VOCs to hydrophilic VOCs, converts more odorous VOCs to less odorous compounds. As a result, it is easier to strip the composition to a lower odor with the same amount of steam because the material starts with a lower odor.

Example 10 Deactivation of Carboxylesterase by Addition of a Protease Enzyme

In one embodiment of the invention, the residual activity of the carboxylesterase in a formulation may be controlled by deactivation of the enzyme.

Table 11, below, illustrates the deactivation of a carboxylesterase by the simultaneous addition of a protease enzyme (Savinase) at the time of addition of the carboxylesterase (CALBL) to a polymer latex. 10 g samples of acrylic latex (Polymer A, Example 3) were incubated with concentrations of CALBL and Savinase as shown in Table 11. Samples were immediately treated with approximately 65 ppm of ethyl acrylate (EA) and incubated in sealed jars at room temperature for up to 30 days. 20 mg samples were taken during this time for assessment of the headspace by GC/FID. Ester hydrolysis of the EA in the presence of the enzyme combination was monitored through the decrease of headspace EA in latex samples at intervals shown in the table.

TABLE 11 Effect of Simultaneous Addition of Esterase and Protease on Carboxylester Levels Sample ¹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CALBL 0 6 ppm 6 ppm 6 ppm 6 ppm 60 ppm 60 ppm Savinase 0 0 0.8 ppm 1.6 ppm 2.4 ppm 0 2.4 ppm Time (hr) EA Content (ppm) 0 69 63 63 69 63 68 62 24 63 55 61 59 60 30 43 48 68 50 51 55 56 15 24 72 63 42 50 53 54 0 17 144 63 31 45 47 47 0 11 312 65 0 36 43 45 0 8 480 64 0 29 36 42 0 5 552 64 0 34 35 39 0 6 552 * 93 84 80 85 * 47 (re-spike) 576 * 84 84 85 84 * 50 648 * 70 78 74 87 * 54 888 * 37 77 76 86 * 52 ¹ Acrylic latex, Polymer A. * Not re-spiked.

In Table 11, all of the samples start (t=0) with approximately 65 ppm of EA in the latex. Sample 1 shows that without either enzyme the EA levels are quite constant over time. Sample 2 (also Sample 6) shows addition of the carboxylesterase alone is effective in reducing the EA content to zero, but further addition of EA to the latex demonstrates that the enzyme is still active. As shown above, this can cause problems in formulated systems by attacking the formulation ingredients. Samples 3-5 and 7 illustrate how the addition of a protease enzyme can deactivate the carboxylesterase so that it is no longer capable of removing EA. Sample 7 shows that appropriate choice of enzyme levels can effect both reduction of residual monomer to very low levels and deactivation of the carboxylesterase such that it is no longer active.

Alternatively, the deactivation of the carboxylesterase may be achieved in step-wise manner, as shown in Table 12, below, in which the addition of the protease occurs subsequently to that of the carboxylesterase.

TABLE 12 Effect of Stepwise Addition¹ of Esterase and Protease on Carboxylester Levels Sample² 1 2 3 4 CALBL 0 60 ppm 60 ppm 60 ppm Savinase 0 0 32 ppm 800 ppm Time (hr) EA Content (ppm) 0 69 66 63 60 24 63 26 53 56 48 68 22 44 54 72 63 17 35 50 120 65 8 33 46 144 63 5 31 46 168 64 0 33 46 192 63 0 35 46 216 63 0 34 48 312 65 0 33 47 384 63 0 33 48 ¹The carboxylesterase was added at time t = 0; the protease was added at time t = 24 hours. ²Acrylic latex, Polymer A.

The control samples, Samples 1 and 2, act similarly to the control Samples 1 and 2 in Table 11. Samples 3 and 4 show that the protease may be added subsequently so that the deactivation of carboxylesterase occurs after EA levels have been reduced. There is a delayed effect, as shown by the differing rates of EA removal for sample 2-4 (EA levels determined by GC-FID). However, one could simply add the protease after the carboxylesterase has been effective in reducing the EA levels to the desired level.

Carboxylesterase deactivation can be effected by any protease enzyme, although appropriate levels and conditions need to be experimentally determined in each case. For example, addition of the protease enzymes, SEBrite BP16.0L and SEBalase BPL (at the levels shown in Tables 11 and 12) is so effective in deactivating the carboxylesterase enzyme that they are more amenable to the stepwise addition technique; the simultaneous addition shuts down the carboxylesterase enzyme so rapidly that the residual monomer is not sufficiently removed.

Example 11 Deactivation of Carboxylesterase by Addition of a Small Molecule Inhibitor

In another embodiment, deactivation of the carboxylesterase enzyme may be achieved by the addition of a small molecule inhibitor, as shown for CALBL and N51032 in Tables 13 and 14, below. The experiments were conducted in a similar manner to that described in Example 10, except that a small molecule inhibitor molecule was added at a level of 1.0% by weight of solids on weight of wet latex in place of the protease, and the starting level of EA in the latex was approximately 115 ppm. Table 13, below, shows the effect of small molecule inhibitors on the EA content of a polymer latex (AC-261) containing the carboxylesterase enzyme, CALBL. The small molecule inhibitor and CALBL were added simultaneously at the time t=0. In the following tables, the potential small molecule inhibitors are as follows:

-   PBA—phenylboronic acid -   S-1-DS—Sodium 1-decane-sulfonate -   NPB—Neopentylboronic acid -   2MPB—(2-methylpropyl)boronic acid -   CBA—cyclohexylboronic acid

TABLE 13 Effect of Small Molecule Inhibitors¹ on the EA Content of Latex² Containing CALBL CALBL (60 ppm) Control PBA S-1-DS NPB CBA 2MPB Time (hr) EA Content (ppm) 0 108 108 114 107 102 105 24 20 103 73 21 70 95 72 0 116 36 0 55 102 168 0 108 17 0 24 104 ¹Potential small molecule inhibitors were added at a level of 1.0% by weight of solids on weight of wet latex ²Acrylic latex, AC-261.

Compared to the control, it is clear that both PBA and 2MPB are effective in inhibiting the carboxylesterase enzyme. At the level of use, however, these two molecules are actually too effective for simultaneous addition, since the carboxylesterase is unable to remove any significant quantity of residual monomer (EA). (Optimization of the level of use for PBA and 2MPB is explored below, in Tables 15 and 16, respectively; alternatively, stepwise addition as discussed above could be employed). Both CBA and S-1-DS show some ability to inhibit the CALBL enzyme, whereas NPB is completely ineffective as an inhibitor of CALBL.

Similarly, Table 14, below, shows the effect of small molecule inhibitors on the EA content of the same polymer latex containing the carboxylesterase enzyme, N51032. The small molecule inhibitors are added at 1% by weight of solids on weight of wet latex (at the same time as the esterase).

TABLE 14 Effect of Small Molecule Inhibitors on the EA Content of Latex Containing N51032 N51032 (50 ppm) Control PBA S-1-DS NPB CBA 2MPB Time (hr) EA Content (ppm) 0 116 116 115 116 117 117 24 0 116 73 49 96 92 72 0 111 79 30 109 99 168 0 117 77 6 79 79

PBA and, to a lesser extent 2MPB, CBA, and S-1-DS, are effective in inhibiting the carboxylesterase enzyme. Again, optimization of the level of use for PBA and 2MPB in the latex is explored below, in Tables 15 and 16, respectively, by the same procedure.

TABLE 15 Optimization of the Level of Use for PBA Inhibitor for CALBL and N51032 Enzymes CALBL (6 ppm) N51032 (5 ppm) Time Con- 0.1% 0.01% 0.001% Con- 0.1% 0.01% 0.001% (hr) trol PBA PBA PBA trol PBA PBA PBA 0 48 39 44 48 48 46 45 46 120 24 35 32 30 10 34 41 36 168 18 35 26 25 0 41 39 34 384 0 29 15 11 0 38 34 22 480 0 29 15 9 0 39 34 19

The data show that, for both CALBL and N51032, levels of PBA as low as 0.01% (weight % of solid inhibitor on weight of wet latex) or even 0.001% are sufficient to shut off the enzyme activity.

TABLE 16 Optimization of the Level of Use for 2MPB Inhibitor for CALBL and N51032 Enzymes CALBL (6 ppm) N51032 (5 ppm) Time Con- 0.1% 0.01% 0.001% Con- 0.1% 0.01% 0.001% (hr) trol 2MPB 2MPB 2MPB trol 2MPB 2MPB 2MPB 0 48 43 43 44 48 43 37 42 120 24 34 28 32 10 34 25 24 168 18 25 24 23 0 27 19 22 384 0 15 13 10 0 22 6 8 480 0 13 11 8 0 20 5 6

Similarly, the data in Table 16 show that, for both CALBL and N51032, levels of 2MPB as low as 0.01% (weight % of solid inhibitor on weight of wet latex) or even 0.001% are sufficient to shut off the enzyme activity.

In one embodiment of the invention, when the deactivating agent is an enzyme inhibitor, the enzyme inhibitor is selected from the group consisting of boronic acids, derivatives thereof, sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium 1-decane sulfonate, and combinations thereof.

Example 12 Comparison of Paint Formulation Stability for Paints Comprising Carboxylesterase with and without Deactivation

A carboxylesterase enzyme can be used to achieve a reduction in carboxylester residual monomer levels below that of the odor threshold level of the carboxylester monomer and preferably further, toward zero. The ultimate goal in deactivating the carboxylesterase is to remove any residual carboxylesterase enzyme activity so that the enzyme does not attack any essential formulation ingredients. A number of ester based coalescents have been found to be extremely susceptible to hydrolysis by esterases. One such coalescent commonly used is Coasol. In the following data set, 18 paints were formulated according to the formulation given in Table 17 to determine if the small molecule and protease deactivation methods are able to protect Coasol from being degraded by carboxylesterase enzymes. Table 18 summarizes the results.

TABLE 17 Paint Formulations for Formulation Stability Study Paint E (g) Paint F (g) Ingredient (Without Coasol) (With Coasol) Water 15.14 15.14 Tamol 731-A 2.15 2.15 BYK-024 0.40 0.40 Triton DF-16 0.25 0.25 Kathon LX (1.5%) 0.17 0.17 Ti-Pure R706 50.05 50.05 Omyacarb 5 6.26 6.26 Minex 10 6.26 6.26 Diafil 525 0.50 0.50 Grind sub total (ER) 81.18 81.18 Water 27.50 27.50 Byk-024 0.38 0.38 Rhoplex AC-261¹ 102.25 102.25 Coasol 0.00 3.30 Ultra E 11.76 11.76 Nat Plus 330 (2.5%) 36.00 36.00 259.07 262.37 ¹In some formulations, the Rhoplex AC-261 polymer latex has been treated with a carboxylesterase enzyme.

In Table 18, below, the 18 paints comprise the AC-261 latex; for paints 3-18, the polymer latex has been treated with a carboxylesterase enzyme, either N51032 or CALBL, at the levels shown in the table. The data show the effect of deactivating the carboxylesterase enzyme on paint formulation stability, the deactivating agent being added in the latex in stepwise fashion, 24 hours after as the carboxylesterase enzyme. The paint was formulated a further 24 hours later.

TABLE 18 Effect of Deactivating the Carboxylesterase Enzyme on Paint Formulation Stability^(1, 2) Carboxylesterase Carboxylesterase Coasol Paint ID Enzyme Level (ppm)³ Coalescent Deactivation⁴ Delta KU² 12-1 None 0 No No 4 12-2 None 0 Yes No 7 12-3 N51032 5 No No 7 12-4 N51032 5 Yes No >40 12-5 N51032 5 No 1% PBA 5 12-6 N51032 5 Yes 1% PBA 8 12-7 N51032 25 No N 10 12-8 N51032 25 Yes N >40 12-9 N51032 25 No 1% PBA 5 12-10 N51032 25 Yes 1% PBA 10 12-11 CALBL 6 No N 9 12-12 CALBL 6 Yes N >40 12-13 CALBL 6 No 1% Savinase 8 12-14 CALBL 6 Yes 1% Savinase 6 12-15 CALBL 30 No N 9 12-16 CALBL 30 Yes N >40 12-17 CALBL 30 No 1% Savinase 9 12-18 CALBL 30 Yes 1% Savinase 9 ¹The paint formulation is given in Table 17. ²Delta KU is the absolute difference between the initial KU viscosity of the paint and its 1 week equilibrated KU viscosity. Values >40 were off scale and those samples had the consistency of butter. ³Enzyme level is expressed in ppm of dry enzyme on wet latex. ⁴1% of deactivating agent, PBA or Savinase, is the weight % of agent (as supplied) on weight of wet latex.

The data in Table 18 show that both of the carboxylesterase enzymes, N51032 and CALBL, even at very low levels (5 or 6 ppm), have a seriously deleterious effect on the paint formulation stability of paints comprising the coalescent Coasol. However, for both CALBL and N51032, deactivation of the carboxylesterase enzyme either by addition of a small molecule inhibitor or by addition of a protease enzyme, enables acceptable formulation stability of the paints. In each case, the PBA and the protease were added in stepwise manner after the carboxylesterase enzyme had reduced carboxylester levels, but in both cases the deactivation could be applied simultaneously as described in Example 10. The same levels of carboxylesterase used in this experiment were shown earlier (Table 2) to reduce residual carboxylester levels to essentially zero in this same latex (AC-261).

Table 19, below, shows the effect of (stepwise) enzyme deactivation on carboxylesterase enzyme activity in a polymer latex (AC-261). The enzyme activity in the latex, as measured by the change in headspace EA levels (GC-FID), was determined for two carboxylesterase enzymes, N51032 and CALBL, in each case with and without deactivation of the carboxylesterase. The experimental procedure follows that in Example 2.

TABLE 19 Effect of Enzyme Deactivation on Carboxylesterase Enzyme Activity in Polymer Latex EA Content ¹ EA Content ^(1, 2) Latex t = 0 mins t mins Difference Difference Time Rate (AC-261) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (micromole.) (mins) (micromole/min) 5 ppm N51032 465.0 430.5 34.6 3.453 120.0 0.029 5 ppm N51032 + 509.9 508.3 1.5 0.153 360.0 0.000 1% PBA 6 pmm CALBL 465.7 445.3 20.4 2.038 120.0 0.017 6 pmm CALBL + 478.9 478.7 0.3 0.027 360.0 0.000 1% SAV ¹ Average of 3 samples; standard deviation in the measurement for t = 0 is approximately 5 ppm; standard deviation for the measurement at time t = 120 mins or t = 360 mins is approximately 7 ppm. ² EA levels were measured at time t = 120 mins for uninhibited samples and at time t = 360 mins for the inhibited samples. ³ Enzyme level is expressed in ppm of dry enzyme on wet latex. ⁴ 1% of deactivating agent, PBA or Savinase, is the weight % of agent (as supplied) on weight of wet latex.

The N51032 carboxylesterase enzyme was effectively deactivated by the PBA small molecule inhibitor, and the CALBL carboxylesterase enzyme was effectively deactivated by the added protease. In both cases, the enzyme activity is essentially zero. In each case, the PBA and the protease were added in stepwise manner, but in both cases the deactivation could be applied simultaneously as described in Example 10.

Table 20, below, illustrates a similar experiment performed for paint formulations (paint formulation E, Table 17).

TABLE 20 Effect of Enzyme Deactivation on Carboxylesterase Enzyme Activity in Paint EA Content ¹ EA Content ^(1, 2) Paint t = 0 mins t mins Difference Difference Time Rate (Paint X) (ppm) (ppm) (ppm) (micromole.) (mins) (micromole/min) 5 ppm N51032 474.3 458.4 15.9 1.592 120.0 0.013 5 ppm N51032 + 483.9 483.1 0.8 0.083 360.0 0.000 1% PBA 6 pmm CALBL 480.0 466.6 13.4 1.342 120.0 0.011 6 pmm CALBL + 478.0 477.1 0.8 0.083 360.0 0.000 1% SAV ¹ Average of 3 samples; standard deviation in the measurement for t = 0, and also for the measurement at time t = 120 mins or t = 360 mins, is approximately 5 ppm. ² EA levels were measured at time t = 120 mins for uninhibited samples and at time t = 360 mins for the inhibited samples. ³ Enzyme level is expressed in ppm of dry enzyme on wet latex. ⁴ 1% of deactivating agent, PBA or Savinase, is the weight % of agent (as supplied on weight of wet latex.

The experimental procedure and mode of enzyme deactivation for the data in Table 20 is the same as that in Table 19, except that the enzyme is present in a fully formulated paint. Again, both the small molecule inhibitor (PBA) and the protease (savinase) are effective in deactivating the carboxylesterase in the paint formulations.

Taken as a whole, the data show that addition of a carboxylesterase to a latex or formulated composition can reduce levels of carboxylester below the odor threshold level, and that further deleterious effects of the enzyme activity on other formulation components, that would adversely effect formulation stability or end properties of the formulation, can be avoided by the deactivation of the carboxylesterase enzyme. The carboxylesterase hydrolysis activity after deactivation is effectively zero. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An aqueous composition comprising: i) one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymers comprising polymerized units of one or more carboxylester monomers; ii) one or more carboxylesterase enzymes having an ester hydrolysis activity in the composition of less than 0.010 micromole/minute; iii) one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agents; iv) greater than 50 ppm of one or more mono-alcohols with a formula molecular weight of less than 76; and v) less than 10 ppm of organic carboxylesters with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C.
 2. The aqueous composition of claim 1, wherein the aqueous composition is a coating composition.
 3. The aqueous composition of claim 1, wherein the ester hydrolysis activity is zero or substantially zero and wherein the monoalcohol is n-butanol, t-butanol, or ethanol.
 4. The aqueous composition of claim 1, wherein the deactivating agent is selected from the group consisting of: one or more protease enzyme, one or more enzyme inhibitor, and combinations thereof.
 5. The aqueous composition of claim 1, wherein the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymers comprise an acrylic, styrene-acrylic, vinyl acetate-acrylic or vinyl acetate-ethylene emulsion polymer in an amount of at least 5% by weight of the emulsion polymer solids based on the total composition solids.
 6. The aqueous composition of claim 1, wherein the one or more emulsion-polymerized addition polymers further comprise polymerized units of a carbonyl containing monoethylenically unsaturated monomer, and the composition further comprises a polyamine or polyhydrazide or a combination thereof.
 7. The aqueous composition of claim 1 which further includes a coalescent that is susceptible to hydrolysis by an esterase.
 8. An aqueous composition comprising: i) one or more emulsion-polymerized addition acrylic or styrene-acrylic polymers; ii) one or more carboxylesterase enzymes having an ester hydrolysis activity in the composition of not more than 0.012 micromole/minute; iii) one or more carboxylesterase deactivating agents; iv) greater than 50 ppm of one or more mono-alcohols with a formula molecular weight of less than 76; v) less than 10 ppm of organic carboxylesters with a normal boiling point of less than 150° C.; and vi) a coalescent that is susceptible to hydrolysis by an esterase. 